GF: Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato pizza

An easy, peasy gluten free lunch (or dinner!) idea. If I’m working, I make this the night before and reheat it for lunch. It’s not as tasty as it is fresh though.

What’s makes this lunch or dinner delicious are the fresh ingredients. Don’t try to use dried basil for the fresh basil called for if you are trying to recreate this fresh taste. It just won’t be the same.

I’ve made this recipe many times now for several months. When I started using the mock lavash bread, we feel in love with it even more. We are crispy-crust fans and thin-crust pizza fans around here DESPITE our Chicago-roots.

Using a wet rubber spatula and parchment paper, I can spend a little time (3-4 minutes) smoothing the dough as thinly as possible on the parchment paper. Then I bake the “”crust” for 15-16 minutes until golden. We’ve even made small, individual rounds of the mock lavash for individual pitas, sandwiches, pizzas, wraps, etc. It’s fast… and tasty!

You can even put a little baking powder in the lavash dough (add about 3/4 teaspoon when you add the dry ingredients) and your bread will puff up and get more crisp as well.

Dice your fresh tomatoes. Set in to a colander, stir them around a bit to get the juices flowing and strain the tomatoes. (This avoids the mushy crust syndrome.)

Make one lavash recipe and spread thinly with a wet spatula on to parchment paper.

Bake the “crust” for 15-16 minutes. Remove from oven.

While the crust is baking, cut the fresh mozzarella balls into slices that are about 1/2 inch thick. Then cut in to strips and then half again. This will make pieces that are about 1 inch in length and about 1/2 inch in width. (The size of your pieces only matters for baking time. If your pieces are larger or smaller, please adjust your baking time as necessary.)

Tear or chop your basil into small slices/strips.

Drizzle the 1 tablespoon of olive oil on to the prepared mock lavash crust and brush the top to evenly distribute the oil.

Sprinkle on your ingredients: tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. (We’ve also added hot sopressata at this point too.)

Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust edges are browned (about 14-18 minutes).

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with finishing salt.

Slice and serve.

Eat it outside in the sunshine with a fresh salad and fresh fruit. That’s what we’re doing tonight!
Happy gluten-free eating!
-Kate

(*A NOTE ABOUT FRESH MOZZARELLA: Fresh mozzarella is becoming easier to find in traditional super markets. If you supermarket has an olive bar, check there in addition to looking in the dairy department or deli. The mozzarella balls are stored in a brine. After purchasing, be sure to keep the mozzarella in a fresh liquid brine as well by changing the water and rinsing daily (or every two days at least). This will keep the mozzarella fresher. However, I highly recommend using fresh mozzarella within a few days of purchasing it. as it will spoil. Spoilage will occur faster if you fail to change the brine as well.)